The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-12-22
WITH THEIR OWN PETARD
REPUBLICAN ARGU UMENTS AGAINST TAR
IFF REVISION REFUTED BY
THEIR0WN ACTIONS.
CHAPTER AND VERSE CITED.
The President'S Message simply y
RecWmm ends an Policy 10
which the PrOIectiOn.
lists are Pledged.

the tariff by way OF getting rid OF un-
necessary taxation, have inconvenient-
" short memories. In 1882 both
houses OF Congress were republican.
In the Senate that great protectionist
leader, Senator Morrill,, introduced n
the third day OF the session bill to
secure tariff changes. He did it ap.
parently in the same spirit and with
the same intention with which the
President now recommends such
changes, namely TO reduce taxation !;
for Mr.. Morrill, said, in presenting his
bill :--
Mr.. MoRRILL-Yesterday was go
discouraged by the overwhelming av-
alanche OF bills presented here cal.ir.g
tor money out of the Treasury that /
began to think that the policy of es-
tablishing Il commission to see wheth-
er any reduction of the taxation OF the
country should be considered ought
to be reversed, and that instead OF a
commission for that object there
should be one to see whether we could
not obtain something mo- OF revenue
from the tariff and internal taxes.
In the House, in like manner, the
protectionist republican leader OF the
House (Mr. Kasson) introduced 8
similar bill to secure tariff changes,
and Mr. Kasson said -
Mr.. KAssoN--I know OF very few
people in the United States who ad-
NIT that they have no complaint to
make against some parts of the details
of the present tariff Whether you
are free traders or prohibitory tariff
men, protective tariff men or advo-
Gates Of a tariff flr revenue only, | take
it for granted that you Nil agree that
in some manner the present tariff
should be reviewed and more or less
modified. The manufacturers them
selves address US in the following Ian.
Suage -
"Some excessive duties remain on
the statute book some dutable arti-
Giles should be on the flee list, and
some of the provisions of the tariff
have become obsolete. New indus.
tries have sprung up which require
consideration. Changes in the mutu-
al relations OF raw material and man.
ufactures have taken place. The in
sufficiencies in tho language OF our
tariff laws in important particulars tn
express individually their intent have
been disclosed by judicial and admin.
istrative constructions, as in the case
OF knit gOods, and have sometimes
opened the way to gross unfairness, as
in the case of cotton ties, while some
errors in the codification OF the tariff
laws require correction"
] may assume then, sir, I think
without dispute, that there is common
consent on both sides of the House
that there should be a revision of the
tariff.
In the course of the debate on this
bill--ior creating tariff commission
almost every republican who spoke
committed himself to the urgent ne
cessity Of reforming the tariff. Fol
inEtance, Senator Sherman thought il
necessary to revise the tariff for tn,
express purpose OF reducing the taxes
He said -
Senator SHERMAN-The bill assumes
that there is u necessity for u revis
ion Of the tariff laws, and 40 to this
necessity there is no controversy OF
dispute. The very great changes il
the relative value Of articles in the tar
i'll schedule, the wonderful results thai
have arisen from improved methods
OF manufacture, as in the case of steel
the wholesale evasiOns of standards q
value, US in the case Of sugar, and tn,
numerous incongruities and defectl
of existing laws, developed by trial q
twenty years, impertectly patched uE
by amendments--all these causes com
bined render it necessary to revise no
only the rate Of duties, but the meth
odS OF ascertaining and collecting
them. To theses causes ls also added
the conceded fact that under existing
law we are collecting from the people
OF the United States aS national take
the sum of fifty to one hundred mil
lions Of dollars more than 10 requisit,
to meet all the proper current expen
ditures of the government and all ou
obligations to the public creditors ant
TO comply with the Sinking Fund &C
for the gradual reduction of the pub
lie debt. We agree that the tarii
should be revised and the taxes be re
duced
Senator Warner Miller said -
Senator MILLER--I would have beef
glad if the Ways and Means Commit
tee of the House of Representative
had taken this matter in hand, an,
had brought in complete bill for tn
revision of the tariff, not waiting fo
any commission to ait upon it and in
veStigate it. We have now f0rtwent
yer been going ON substantially uu
der one system of tariff II there
tn be revision of it, as | think ther
should be, the sooner we have tina
revision the better it will be for indul
tries,
Mr.. Mckinley, Of Ohio, said -
Mr.. MCKINLEY-There are excrei
cences IN the present tariff whic
should be removed. There are incoT
gruities which should be corrected
There are wrongs growing out OF dt
cisioHs Of the Treasury D DApartmen
and the courts which ought to he rem
edied at once, commission or no con
missinn-matters which ought not I
be delayed far the adjustment of
commission and which, IL they are {
hepestponed until mmissi0n whic
i - L